US20160037958A1 - Cooking apparatus with robotic arm - Google Patents
Cooking apparatus with robotic arm Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20160037958A1 US20160037958A1 US14/776,261 US201414776261A US2016037958A1 US 20160037958 A1 US20160037958 A1 US 20160037958A1 US 201414776261 A US201414776261 A US 201414776261A US 2016037958 A1 US2016037958 A1 US 2016037958A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- heating plate
- upper heating
- robotic arm
- cooking apparatus
- lower heating
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- A47J27/00—Cooking-vessels
- A47J27/56—Preventing boiling over, e.g. of milk
- A47J27/62—Preventing boiling over, e.g. of milk by devices for automatically controlling the heat supply by switching off heaters or for automatically lifting the cooking-vessels
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- A47J37/00—Baking; Roasting; Grilling; Frying
- A47J37/06—Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills
- A47J37/0611—Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills the food being cooked between two heating plates, e.g. waffle-irons
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- A47J37/00—Baking; Roasting; Grilling; Frying
- A47J37/06—Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills
- A47J37/0611—Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills the food being cooked between two heating plates, e.g. waffle-irons
- A47J2037/0617—Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills the food being cooked between two heating plates, e.g. waffle-irons with means to adjust the distance between heating plates
Definitions
- Embodiments of the invention relate to a cooking apparatus, and in particular to a cooking apparatus having an upper heating plate that is controlled by a robotic arm.
- Grills for cooking apply heat from a lower heating plate and from an upper heating plate to opposite sides of a food item to decrease cook times and to cook food evenly.
- an operator must monitor cook-times and a gap between heating plates, and operator error or cooking product variation may result in uneven cooking quality.
- cleaning of the upper heating plate requires reaching across the lower heating plate.
- Embodiments of the present invention include a cooking apparatus including a base and an upper heating unit.
- the base includes a lower heating plate and the upper heating unit includes an upper heating plate.
- the cooking apparatus includes a robotic arm connected to the upper heating unit to move the upper heating plate between at least a cooking position adjacent to the lower heating plate and a non-cooking position separated from the lower heating plate based on a control program.
- Embodiments of the invention further include a method of controlling a cooking apparatus including measuring a characteristic of one of a base of the cooking apparatus and an upper heating unit of the cooking apparatus.
- the base includes a lower heating plate and the upper heating unit includes an upper heating plate.
- the cooking apparatus includes a robotic arm connected to the upper heating unit.
- the method further includes controlling the robotic arm with a control program to move the upper heating unit between a cooking position having the upper heating plate adjacent to the lower heating plate and a non-cooking position having the upper heating plate separated from the lower heating plate.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 2 illustrates a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 3 illustrates a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the invention.
- Embodiments of the invention relate to a cooking apparatus having upper and lower heating plates, and a robotic arm connected to the upper heating plate to move the upper heating plate towards and away from the lower heating plate.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a cooking apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.
- the cooking apparatus 100 is a grilling apparatus for grilling food.
- the cooking apparatus 100 includes a base 110 including a housing 111 that rests on the ground, floor or another surface.
- the base 110 also includes a first heating plate 112 , which may be referred to as a lower heating plate 112 .
- the cooking apparatus 100 also includes an upper heating unit 120 including a housing 121 and an upper heating plate 122 .
- FIG. 1 one configuration of a cooking apparatus 100 is illustrated including a single heating plate 112 on a housing 111 and a single upper heating unit 120 .
- embodiments of the invention encompass any configuration of base 110 , lower heating plate 112 , upper heating unit 120 and upper heating plate 122 , including multiple lower or upper heating plates or multiple upper heating units 120 .
- the cooking apparatus 100 includes a robotic arm 130 connected to the upper heating unit 120 to control the upper heating unit 120 .
- the robotic arm 130 moves the upper heating unit 120 between at least one cooking position and at least one non-cooking position.
- the at least one cooking position includes any number of positions having the upper heating plate 122 next to the lower heating plate 112 , separated by any number of predetermined gaps.
- the gaps may be fixed gaps determined based on a computer program, or based on a sensed type of food located on the lower heating plate 112 .
- the robotic arm 130 may control the upper heating plate 122 to have a gap of a first distance corresponding to a first type of food or a second distance corresponding to a second type of food.
- the robotic arm 130 may control the upper heating plate 122 to have a gap that varies from one part of the upper heating plate 122 to another part of the upper heating plate 122 based on foods of different heights positioned on the lower heating plate 112 .
- the at least one non-cooking position may include, for example, a stand-by position at which food is placed on the lower heating plate 112 , a shut-down position and a cleaning position.
- the stand-by position may consist of the upper heating plate 122 positioned over the lower heating plate 112 at an angle with respect to the lower heating plate 112 .
- the cleaning position may include rotating the robotic arm 130 around a vertical axis or other axis perpendicular to a plane defined by the lower heating plate 112 to be un-aligned with the lower heating plate 112 .
- the upper heating plate 122 rotates around a horizontal axis, defined by at least one joint of the robotic arm 130 , to move up from, and down towards, the lower heating plate 112 .
- the robotic arm 130 may be rotated around an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the lower heating plate 112 so that if the robotic arm 130 rotates around a horizontal axis, or other axis parallel to the plane defined by the lower heating plate 112 , the upper heating plate 122 is not aligned with the lower heating plate 112 .
- Such a position may allow a user to access the upper heating plate for cleaning, repair or inspection without reaching over the lower heating plate 112 .
- the robotic arm 130 may include at least three axes of rotation.
- the robotic arm 130 in FIG. 1 includes five axes of rotation, defined by joints 132 a, 132 b, 132 c , 132 d and 132 e.
- the joint 132 a defines a vertical axis of rotation, or an axis of rotation perpendicular to a plane defined by the lower heating plate 112 .
- the joints 132 b, 132 c and 132 e define horizontal axes of rotation, or axes of rotation that are parallel to the ground or to the lower heating plate 112 .
- the robotic arm 130 includes arm segment 131 a, which is mounted to the housing 111 , and arm segments 131 b, 131 c and 131 d.
- the arm segment 131 d is connected to a mounting segment 133 via the joint 132 e.
- the mounting segment 133 is permanently attached to the housing 121 , and in an alternative embodiment, the mounting segment 133 is removably attached, such as by clamps, latches, brackets, screws, male-female connectors or any other detachable mounting devices or structures.
- the mounting segment 133 may include a grasping mechanism that is actuated to grasp a mounting structure of the housing 121 .
- the joint 132 d is located along the arm segment 131 d and defines a rotation axis parallel to an approximate center length axis of the arm segment 131 d. While one example of a robotic arm 130 is illustrated in FIG. 1 , embodiments of the invention encompass any robotic arm including any number of arm segments and joints, providing any range of motion. In embodiments of the invention, the robotic arm 130 may have a number and type of joints and arms such that the upper heating unit 120 may have any inclination, including horizontal, vertical, below horizontal, acute and obtuse. In one embodiment, the robotic arm 130 includes at least one joint 132 located on an opposite side of the upper heating plate 122 from the lower heating plate 121 . The joint 132 may define a rotation axis parallel to the lower heating plate 112 , such that rotating the joint 132 results in the robotic arm 130 exerting force on the upper heating plate 122 from above the upper heating plate 122 .
- the robotic arm 130 has sufficient axes of rotation to permit the robotic arm 130 to flip the upper heating plate 122 from facing downward, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , to facing upward.
- the upper heating plate 122 may be used to cook an upper side of a food product resting on the lower heating plate 112 , then the upper heating plate may be flipped to face upwards, and may be used to cook the underside of another food product, such as to toast a bun.
- the cooking apparatus 100 further includes a computer 151 including a robotic arm control unit 152 for controlling the robotic arm 130 .
- the computer 151 includes a processing circuit, programmable logic, memory and any other circuitry for receiving, analyzing processing and transmitting data.
- the cooking apparatus 100 also includes sensors 153 and 154 .
- the sensors 153 and 154 detect an attitude of the upper heating unit 120 or the upper heating plate 122 and transmit a signal with data regarding the position of the upper heating unit 120 or the upper heating plate 122 to the computer 151 .
- the sensor 153 may detect the attitude of the base 110 or the lower heating plate 112 and may transmit a corresponding signal to the computer 151 .
- the computer 151 controls the robotic arm 130 based on the signals from the sensors 153 and 154 .
- Embodiments of the invention encompass any type of sensor capable of providing position data or other cooking data to the computer 151 .
- sensors include inclinometers, accelerometers, pressure sensors, temperature sensors and optical sensors. While FIG. 1 illustrates two sensors 153 and 154 located in the base 110 and the upper heating unit 120 , embodiments encompass sensors located at any position in the upper heating unit 120 and base 110 . In addition, while two sensors are illustrated for purposes of description, embodiments of the invention encompass one sensor in one or the other of the upper heating unit 120 and the base 110 or three or more sensors.
- one or both of the sensors 153 and 154 is a sensor configured to recognize a type of food placed on the lower heating plate 112 .
- the computer 151 recognizes the type or class of food placed on the lower heating plate 112 and the robotic arm control unit 152 controls the robotic arm 130 based on the detected type of food to set a gap between the lower heating plate 112 and the upper heating plate 122 , to exert a force of a predetermined degree on the upper heating plate 122 , such that a predetermined pressure is exerted upon food located on the lower heating plate 112 .
- a food product is placed on the lower heating plate 112 .
- One of the sensors 153 and 154 may detect the type of food product based on size, weight, image recognition or any other recognition process.
- a user may enter a control program selection indicating a type of food product that is placed on the lower heating plate 112 .
- the robotic arm control unit 152 controls the robotic arm 130 to position the upper heating unit 120 above the lower heating plate 112 , such that a predetermined gap exists between the upper heating plate 122 and the lower heating plate 112 according to the type of food.
- the gap may be a constant gap over the entire area of the upper and lower heating plates 112 and 122 or the gap may vary according to different detected heights of the food product detected on the lower heating plate 112 .
- the gap may vary over the course of cooking the food product. For example, the gap may be wider at the beginning of a cooking process and the robotic arm control unit 152 may control the robotic arm 130 to incrementally decrease a size of the gap over time.
- the gap is measured by one or both of the sensors 153 and 154 .
- the gap is determined by detecting the state of the robotic arm 130 .
- the robotic arm may be calibrated to have a known reference position, such as a rest position or a position in which the upper heating plate 122 contacts the lower heating plate 112 .
- the gap may then be measured by determining the state of the joints 132 a - 132 e of the robotic arm relative to the reference position.
- the cooking process may be completed by sensing that the food product is cooked or based on an elapsed cook time.
- the robotic arm control unit 152 may then control the robotic arm 130 to lift the upper heating unit 120 away from the lower heating plate 112 . If another food product is going to be cooked, the upper heating unit 120 may be lifted to an angle away from the lower heating plate 112 that is safe for an operator to apply food, such as between seventy-five and ninety degrees. If the upper or lower heating plates 122 or 112 needs to be cleaned, the upper heating unit 120 may be rotated around a vertical axis to be un-aligned with the lower heating plate 112 , allowing an operator to access the upper heating plate 122 without reaching across the lower heating plate 112 .
- the robotic arm 130 may rotate and actuate the joints 132 b, 132 c and 132 e to rub or slide the upper heating plate 122 along a stationary cleaning structure, such as a stationary squeegee or stiff cleaning structure.
- the stationary cleaning structure may scrape or squeegee food by-products off of the upper heating plate 122 .
- Embodiments of the invention encompass controlling to robotic arm 130 to move the upper heating unit 120 into any angle relative to the lower heating plate 112 , or to have any gap relative to the lower heating plate 112 .
- FIG. 2 illustrates a cooking apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the invention.
- the cooking apparatus 200 includes the base 110 , housing 111 and lower heating plate 112 and the upper heating unit 220 , housing 221 and upper heating plate 222 .
- the cooking apparatus 200 includes a robotic arm 230 including arm segments 231 a, 231 b and 231 c and joints 232 a, 232 b and 232 c.
- the robotic arm 230 further includes a mounting portion 233 connected to an end of the housing 221 .
- the mounting portion 233 may include clamps, latches, brackets, screws, male-female connectors or any other detachable mounting devices or structures.
- the mounting portion 233 may be a grasping mechanism that is actuated to grasp and release a grasping mount of the upper heating unit 220 .
- the robotic arm 230 may control the upper heating unit 220 to have any inclination angle, including horizontal, vertical, acute and obtuse to place the upper heating unit 220 in one or more cooking positions and one or more non-cooking positions.
- the cooking apparatus 200 includes a second upper heating plate 223 located on an opposite side of the housing 221 from the upper heating plate 222 .
- the upper heating unit 220 may be arranged such that the upper heating plate 222 faces the lower heating plate 112 to cook one type of food product, and the robotic arm 230 may raise the upper heating unit 220 and rotate the upper heating unit 220 such that the second upper heating plate 223 faces the lower heating plate 112 to cook the same or another food product.
- the upper heating plate 222 has a different surface structure than the second upper heating plate 223 .
- the upper heating plate 222 is a grilling surface including ridges and the second upper heating plate 223 is flat surface.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a cooking apparatus 300 according to another embodiment of the invention.
- the cooking apparatus 300 includes a base 311 including a housing 311 and a lower heating plate 312 for receiving a food product 370 thereon.
- the cooking apparatus 300 includes a robotic arm 330 , which may correspond to the robotic arm 130 of FIG. 1 or the robotic arm 230 of FIG. 2 .
- the robotic arm 330 is connected to an upper heating unit 320 , which may correspond to the upper heating unit 120 of FIG. 1 , via a connection portion 333 .
- the upper heating unit 320 includes a housing 321 and an upper heating plate (not shown in FIG. 3 ), such as the upper heating plate 122 of FIG. 1 .
- the cooking apparatus 300 also includes a food preparation robotic arm 360 including arm segments 361 and joints 362 to provide the food preparation arm 360 with a range of motion.
- the food preparation robotic arm 360 includes a food manipulation attachment 363 for preparing food.
- the food manipulation attachment 363 may move food 370 from a storage area to the lower heating plate 312 , may provide seasoning to the food 370 , or otherwise treat, shape or prepare the food 370 and remove the food 370 from the lower heating plate 312 .
- a user or system enters a command or control program to cook a certain type of food by the cooking apparatus 300 .
- the food preparation arm 360 retrieves the food indicated by the control program from a storage area.
- a user may place food on the lower heating plate 312 .
- the control program may control a temperature of the upper heating plate and lower heating plate 312 .
- the control program controls the robotic arm 330 to position the upper heating unit 320 over the base 311 , such that an upper heating plate is positioned over the lower heating plate 312 separated by a predetermined gap according to a type of food being cooked.
- the control program controls one or more of the temperature, pressure, alignment and inclination of the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate 312 based on the type of food being cooked. After a predetermined time indicated by the control program has elapsed, the controller controls the robotic arm 330 to move the upper heating unit 320 away from the base 310 , and the food preparation arm 360 removes the food 370 from the lower heating plate 312 .
- FIG. 4 illustrates a method according to an embodiment of the invention.
- food is positioned on a lower heating plate of a cooking apparatus.
- the food may be positioned by a robotic arm or by a user.
- a type, shape or other dimension of the food is detected.
- the food type may be detected by one or more sensors of a cooking apparatus, including optical sensors, weight sensors, image recognition circuitry or any other sensor or circuitry.
- characteristics of the cooking apparatus are detected, such as a gap between an upper heating unit and a base, a gap between an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate, a pressure of an upper heating plate on food or on the lower heating plate, a temperature of the food or any other characteristic.
- the characteristics may be measured by one or more sensors of the cooking apparatus, including pressure sensors, temperature sensors, optical sensors, accelerometers, inclinometers or any other type of sensor.
- a robotic arm is controlled based on the detected characteristic and a cooking state. For example, if a first type of food is detected, the robotic arm may move the upper heating unit to maintain a gap of a first size between an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate. Alternatively, the robotic arm may be programmed to maintain a gap of a predetermined size between the lower heating plate and the upper heating plate regardless of a type of food. In addition, the robotic arm is controlled based on a cooking state, such as to be placed in a cooking position or a non-cooking position.
- the robotic arm may be controlled to move the upper heating plate to be apart from the lower heating plate and accessible by a user.
- the upper heating plate may be brought into the vicinity of the lower heating plate to cook two sides of a food product with a lower heating plate and with an upper heating plate having a position determined by the robotic arm.
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Abstract
Description
- Embodiments of the invention relate to a cooking apparatus, and in particular to a cooking apparatus having an upper heating plate that is controlled by a robotic arm.
- Grills for cooking apply heat from a lower heating plate and from an upper heating plate to opposite sides of a food item to decrease cook times and to cook food evenly. However, in conventional systems, an operator must monitor cook-times and a gap between heating plates, and operator error or cooking product variation may result in uneven cooking quality. In addition, cleaning of the upper heating plate requires reaching across the lower heating plate.
- Embodiments of the present invention include a cooking apparatus including a base and an upper heating unit. The base includes a lower heating plate and the upper heating unit includes an upper heating plate. The cooking apparatus includes a robotic arm connected to the upper heating unit to move the upper heating plate between at least a cooking position adjacent to the lower heating plate and a non-cooking position separated from the lower heating plate based on a control program.
- Embodiments of the invention further include a method of controlling a cooking apparatus including measuring a characteristic of one of a base of the cooking apparatus and an upper heating unit of the cooking apparatus. The base includes a lower heating plate and the upper heating unit includes an upper heating plate. The cooking apparatus includes a robotic arm connected to the upper heating unit. The method further includes controlling the robotic arm with a control program to move the upper heating unit between a cooking position having the upper heating plate adjacent to the lower heating plate and a non-cooking position having the upper heating plate separated from the lower heating plate.
- The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
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FIG. 1 illustrates a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 2 illustrates a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 3 illustrates a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention; and -
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the invention. - Conventional grilling apparatuses require an operator to raise and lower an upper heating unit for cooking and cleaning. In addition, conventional grilling apparatuses may cook product unevenly when the product is uneven on a lower heating plate. Embodiments of the invention relate to a cooking apparatus having upper and lower heating plates, and a robotic arm connected to the upper heating plate to move the upper heating plate towards and away from the lower heating plate.
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FIG. 1 illustrates acooking apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, thecooking apparatus 100 is a grilling apparatus for grilling food. Thecooking apparatus 100 includes abase 110 including ahousing 111 that rests on the ground, floor or another surface. Thebase 110 also includes afirst heating plate 112, which may be referred to as alower heating plate 112. Thecooking apparatus 100 also includes anupper heating unit 120 including ahousing 121 and an upper heating plate 122. - In
FIG. 1 , one configuration of acooking apparatus 100 is illustrated including asingle heating plate 112 on ahousing 111 and a singleupper heating unit 120. However, embodiments of the invention encompass any configuration ofbase 110,lower heating plate 112,upper heating unit 120 and upper heating plate 122, including multiple lower or upper heating plates or multipleupper heating units 120. - The
cooking apparatus 100 includes arobotic arm 130 connected to theupper heating unit 120 to control theupper heating unit 120. Therobotic arm 130 moves theupper heating unit 120 between at least one cooking position and at least one non-cooking position. The at least one cooking position includes any number of positions having the upper heating plate 122 next to thelower heating plate 112, separated by any number of predetermined gaps. The gaps may be fixed gaps determined based on a computer program, or based on a sensed type of food located on thelower heating plate 112. For example, therobotic arm 130 may control the upper heating plate 122 to have a gap of a first distance corresponding to a first type of food or a second distance corresponding to a second type of food. Alternatively, therobotic arm 130 may control the upper heating plate 122 to have a gap that varies from one part of the upper heating plate 122 to another part of the upper heating plate 122 based on foods of different heights positioned on thelower heating plate 112. - The at least one non-cooking position may include, for example, a stand-by position at which food is placed on the
lower heating plate 112, a shut-down position and a cleaning position. By way of example, the stand-by position may consist of the upper heating plate 122 positioned over thelower heating plate 112 at an angle with respect to thelower heating plate 112. The cleaning position may include rotating therobotic arm 130 around a vertical axis or other axis perpendicular to a plane defined by thelower heating plate 112 to be un-aligned with thelower heating plate 112. In other words, during normal operation, the upper heating plate 122 rotates around a horizontal axis, defined by at least one joint of therobotic arm 130, to move up from, and down towards, thelower heating plate 112. However, during a cleaning or non-cooking operation, therobotic arm 130 may be rotated around an axis perpendicular to the plane defined by thelower heating plate 112 so that if therobotic arm 130 rotates around a horizontal axis, or other axis parallel to the plane defined by thelower heating plate 112, the upper heating plate 122 is not aligned with thelower heating plate 112. Such a position may allow a user to access the upper heating plate for cleaning, repair or inspection without reaching over thelower heating plate 112. - The
robotic arm 130 may include at least three axes of rotation. For example, therobotic arm 130 inFIG. 1 includes five axes of rotation, defined byjoints joint 132 a defines a vertical axis of rotation, or an axis of rotation perpendicular to a plane defined by thelower heating plate 112. Thejoints lower heating plate 112. Therobotic arm 130 includesarm segment 131 a, which is mounted to thehousing 111, andarm segments arm segment 131 d is connected to amounting segment 133 via thejoint 132 e. In one embodiment, themounting segment 133 is permanently attached to thehousing 121, and in an alternative embodiment, themounting segment 133 is removably attached, such as by clamps, latches, brackets, screws, male-female connectors or any other detachable mounting devices or structures. In yet another embodiment, themounting segment 133 may include a grasping mechanism that is actuated to grasp a mounting structure of thehousing 121. - The
joint 132 d is located along thearm segment 131 d and defines a rotation axis parallel to an approximate center length axis of thearm segment 131 d. While one example of arobotic arm 130 is illustrated inFIG. 1 , embodiments of the invention encompass any robotic arm including any number of arm segments and joints, providing any range of motion. In embodiments of the invention, therobotic arm 130 may have a number and type of joints and arms such that theupper heating unit 120 may have any inclination, including horizontal, vertical, below horizontal, acute and obtuse. In one embodiment, therobotic arm 130 includes at least one joint 132 located on an opposite side of the upper heating plate 122 from thelower heating plate 121. The joint 132 may define a rotation axis parallel to thelower heating plate 112, such that rotating the joint 132 results in therobotic arm 130 exerting force on the upper heating plate 122 from above the upper heating plate 122. - In one embodiment, the
robotic arm 130 has sufficient axes of rotation to permit therobotic arm 130 to flip the upper heating plate 122 from facing downward, as illustrated inFIG. 1 , to facing upward. For example, the upper heating plate 122 may be used to cook an upper side of a food product resting on thelower heating plate 112, then the upper heating plate may be flipped to face upwards, and may be used to cook the underside of another food product, such as to toast a bun. - The
cooking apparatus 100 further includes acomputer 151 including a roboticarm control unit 152 for controlling therobotic arm 130. Thecomputer 151 includes a processing circuit, programmable logic, memory and any other circuitry for receiving, analyzing processing and transmitting data. Thecooking apparatus 100 also includessensors sensors upper heating unit 120 or the upper heating plate 122 and transmit a signal with data regarding the position of theupper heating unit 120 or the upper heating plate 122 to thecomputer 151. In addition, thesensor 153 may detect the attitude of thebase 110 or thelower heating plate 112 and may transmit a corresponding signal to thecomputer 151. Thecomputer 151 controls therobotic arm 130 based on the signals from thesensors - Embodiments of the invention encompass any type of sensor capable of providing position data or other cooking data to the
computer 151. Examples of sensors include inclinometers, accelerometers, pressure sensors, temperature sensors and optical sensors. WhileFIG. 1 illustrates twosensors base 110 and theupper heating unit 120, embodiments encompass sensors located at any position in theupper heating unit 120 andbase 110. In addition, while two sensors are illustrated for purposes of description, embodiments of the invention encompass one sensor in one or the other of theupper heating unit 120 and the base 110 or three or more sensors. - In one embodiment, one or both of the
sensors lower heating plate 112. In such an embodiment, thecomputer 151 recognizes the type or class of food placed on thelower heating plate 112 and the roboticarm control unit 152 controls therobotic arm 130 based on the detected type of food to set a gap between thelower heating plate 112 and the upper heating plate 122, to exert a force of a predetermined degree on the upper heating plate 122, such that a predetermined pressure is exerted upon food located on thelower heating plate 112. - In one embodiment, a food product is placed on the
lower heating plate 112. One of thesensors lower heating plate 112. The roboticarm control unit 152 controls therobotic arm 130 to position theupper heating unit 120 above thelower heating plate 112, such that a predetermined gap exists between the upper heating plate 122 and thelower heating plate 112 according to the type of food. The gap may be a constant gap over the entire area of the upper andlower heating plates 112 and 122 or the gap may vary according to different detected heights of the food product detected on thelower heating plate 112. In addition, the gap may vary over the course of cooking the food product. For example, the gap may be wider at the beginning of a cooking process and the roboticarm control unit 152 may control therobotic arm 130 to incrementally decrease a size of the gap over time. - In one embodiment, the gap is measured by one or both of the
sensors robotic arm 130. For example, the robotic arm may be calibrated to have a known reference position, such as a rest position or a position in which the upper heating plate 122 contacts thelower heating plate 112. The gap may then be measured by determining the state of the joints 132 a-132 e of the robotic arm relative to the reference position. - The cooking process may be completed by sensing that the food product is cooked or based on an elapsed cook time. The robotic
arm control unit 152 may then control therobotic arm 130 to lift theupper heating unit 120 away from thelower heating plate 112. If another food product is going to be cooked, theupper heating unit 120 may be lifted to an angle away from thelower heating plate 112 that is safe for an operator to apply food, such as between seventy-five and ninety degrees. If the upper orlower heating plates 122 or 112 needs to be cleaned, theupper heating unit 120 may be rotated around a vertical axis to be un-aligned with thelower heating plate 112, allowing an operator to access the upper heating plate 122 without reaching across thelower heating plate 112. According to an alternative cleaning process, therobotic arm 130 may rotate and actuate thejoints - The above gaps, positions and operations of the
cooking apparatus 100 are provided only by way of example. Embodiments of the invention encompass controlling torobotic arm 130 to move theupper heating unit 120 into any angle relative to thelower heating plate 112, or to have any gap relative to thelower heating plate 112. -
FIG. 2 illustrates acooking apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the invention. Thecooking apparatus 200 includes thebase 110,housing 111 andlower heating plate 112 and theupper heating unit 220,housing 221 andupper heating plate 222. Thecooking apparatus 200 includes arobotic arm 230 includingarm segments robotic arm 230 further includes a mountingportion 233 connected to an end of thehousing 221. The mountingportion 233 may include clamps, latches, brackets, screws, male-female connectors or any other detachable mounting devices or structures. In addition, the mountingportion 233 may be a grasping mechanism that is actuated to grasp and release a grasping mount of theupper heating unit 220. As discussed with reference to therobotic arm 130 ofFIG. 1 , therobotic arm 230 may control theupper heating unit 220 to have any inclination angle, including horizontal, vertical, acute and obtuse to place theupper heating unit 220 in one or more cooking positions and one or more non-cooking positions. - In addition, the
cooking apparatus 200 includes a secondupper heating plate 223 located on an opposite side of thehousing 221 from theupper heating plate 222. During operation, theupper heating unit 220 may be arranged such that theupper heating plate 222 faces thelower heating plate 112 to cook one type of food product, and therobotic arm 230 may raise theupper heating unit 220 and rotate theupper heating unit 220 such that the secondupper heating plate 223 faces thelower heating plate 112 to cook the same or another food product. In one embodiment, theupper heating plate 222 has a different surface structure than the secondupper heating plate 223. For example, in one embodiment, theupper heating plate 222 is a grilling surface including ridges and the secondupper heating plate 223 is flat surface. -
FIG. 3 illustrates acooking apparatus 300 according to another embodiment of the invention. Thecooking apparatus 300 includes a base 311 including ahousing 311 and alower heating plate 312 for receiving afood product 370 thereon. Thecooking apparatus 300 includes arobotic arm 330, which may correspond to therobotic arm 130 ofFIG. 1 or therobotic arm 230 ofFIG. 2 . Therobotic arm 330 is connected to anupper heating unit 320, which may correspond to theupper heating unit 120 ofFIG. 1 , via aconnection portion 333. Theupper heating unit 320 includes ahousing 321 and an upper heating plate (not shown inFIG. 3 ), such as the upper heating plate 122 ofFIG. 1 . - The
cooking apparatus 300 also includes a food preparationrobotic arm 360 includingarm segments 361 andjoints 362 to provide thefood preparation arm 360 with a range of motion. The food preparationrobotic arm 360 includes afood manipulation attachment 363 for preparing food. In embodiments of the invention, thefood manipulation attachment 363 may movefood 370 from a storage area to thelower heating plate 312, may provide seasoning to thefood 370, or otherwise treat, shape or prepare thefood 370 and remove thefood 370 from thelower heating plate 312. - In one example embodiment, a user or system enters a command or control program to cook a certain type of food by the
cooking apparatus 300. Thefood preparation arm 360 retrieves the food indicated by the control program from a storage area. Alternatively, a user may place food on thelower heating plate 312. The control program may control a temperature of the upper heating plate andlower heating plate 312. The control program controls therobotic arm 330 to position theupper heating unit 320 over thebase 311, such that an upper heating plate is positioned over thelower heating plate 312 separated by a predetermined gap according to a type of food being cooked. - The control program, or a controller (not shown in
FIG. 3 ) running the control program, controls one or more of the temperature, pressure, alignment and inclination of the upper heating plate and thelower heating plate 312 based on the type of food being cooked. After a predetermined time indicated by the control program has elapsed, the controller controls therobotic arm 330 to move theupper heating unit 320 away from thebase 310, and thefood preparation arm 360 removes thefood 370 from thelower heating plate 312. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a method according to an embodiment of the invention. Inblock 402, food is positioned on a lower heating plate of a cooking apparatus. The food may be positioned by a robotic arm or by a user. - In
block 404, a type, shape or other dimension of the food is detected. The food type may be detected by one or more sensors of a cooking apparatus, including optical sensors, weight sensors, image recognition circuitry or any other sensor or circuitry. - In
block 406, characteristics of the cooking apparatus are detected, such as a gap between an upper heating unit and a base, a gap between an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate, a pressure of an upper heating plate on food or on the lower heating plate, a temperature of the food or any other characteristic. The characteristics may be measured by one or more sensors of the cooking apparatus, including pressure sensors, temperature sensors, optical sensors, accelerometers, inclinometers or any other type of sensor. - In
block 408, a robotic arm is controlled based on the detected characteristic and a cooking state. For example, if a first type of food is detected, the robotic arm may move the upper heating unit to maintain a gap of a first size between an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate. Alternatively, the robotic arm may be programmed to maintain a gap of a predetermined size between the lower heating plate and the upper heating plate regardless of a type of food. In addition, the robotic arm is controlled based on a cooking state, such as to be placed in a cooking position or a non-cooking position. If it is determined that the cooking apparatus is in a stand-by, power down or cleaning state, the robotic arm may be controlled to move the upper heating plate to be apart from the lower heating plate and accessible by a user. On the other hand, if it is determined that the cooking apparatus is in a cooking state, the upper heating plate may be brought into the vicinity of the lower heating plate to cook two sides of a food product with a lower heating plate and with an upper heating plate having a position determined by the robotic arm. - While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (19)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US14/776,261 US20160037958A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-10 | Cooking apparatus with robotic arm |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US201361794587P | 2013-03-15 | 2013-03-15 | |
US14/776,261 US20160037958A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-10 | Cooking apparatus with robotic arm |
PCT/US2014/022560 WO2014143615A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-10 | Cooking apparatus with robotic arm |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20160037958A1 true US20160037958A1 (en) | 2016-02-11 |
Family
ID=50349993
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US14/776,261 Abandoned US20160037958A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-03-10 | Cooking apparatus with robotic arm |
Country Status (2)
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US (1) | US20160037958A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014143615A1 (en) |
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US20150374161A1 (en) * | 2013-01-16 | 2015-12-31 | Elwha Llc | Dry steam ovens |
US20180051890A1 (en) * | 2015-03-13 | 2018-02-22 | Indesit Company S.P.A. | Pot support grate |
CN111050610A (en) * | 2017-08-25 | 2020-04-21 | 泰而勒商用食品服务公司 | Multi-mechanical-arm cooking system |
US20200121125A1 (en) * | 2017-03-06 | 2020-04-23 | Miso Robotics, Inc. | Robotic kitchen assistant for preparing food items in a commercial kitchen and related methods |
US11116357B2 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2021-09-14 | Taylor Commercial Foodservice, Llc | Cooking gap control of a cooking apparatus |
US11833663B2 (en) | 2018-08-10 | 2023-12-05 | Miso Robotics, Inc. | Robotic kitchen assistant for frying including agitator assembly for shaking utensil |
US12082742B2 (en) | 2021-05-01 | 2024-09-10 | Miso Robotics, Inc. | Automated bin system for accepting food items in robotic kitchen workspace |
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